Kayaking

San Juan Island

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Multi Day Kayak Tours San Juan Island

June 16, 2016

Multi Day Kayak Tours

The San Juan Islands present a unique opportunity for nature loves and outdoor enthusiast to kayak in some of the best whale watching waters in the world while camping on small remote islands. Over the years San Juan Island has grown not only as a place to see the famed Souther Resident Killer Whales, but also as a world class kayaking destination. The beautiful summer weather combined with camping under the stars and amazing sunsets, has brought travelers from around the world to experience kayaking the San Juan Islands.

There are a lot of outfitters on the islands offering kayak tours, ranging from a half day on the water to 5 days on the water. Over the years I have seen the popularity of multi day kayak tours change from the longer 5 day kayak expeditions to the shorter 3 day kayak tours. This year we are seeing a growing trend towards our 2 day San Juan kayak tour and the 3 day tour being the choice for those looking for a longer tour. The 5 day sea kayak tour seems to have lost popularity this season, but we do have them available upon request if you have a group of 4 or more guests.

Both the 2 day and 3 day tours cover routes that spend time along the westside of San Juan in the Orca Sanctuary. We try to blend time in high orca encounter zones with exploration of other parts of the island. Exploring the San Juan Islands have been a specialty of Discovery Sea Kayaks for years, planning routes based a many factors such as wind, weather, tides and wildlife potential. Many companies have routes that are unchanging and can present challenges to guests when winds and tides are not accounted for.

Raising the bar is what we do. Early in the days of sea kayak touring San Juan Island you would commonly see outfitters offer the minimum in meals and equipment. Since we started operations, bringing a fresh looking on how to operate multi day kayak tours, many outfitters have changed to adapt tour our higher quality model and others have remained unchanged.

Our concept is simple. Provide the best equipment and as much as possible so guests can travel light. No need to worry with packing sleeping bags, pads and tents. We have some of the outdoor industries best tents and sleeping equipment. Stay warm in Marmot sleeping bags cushioned by Therm-a-Rest sleeping pads while enjoying roomy MSR tents.

When operating multi day kayak tours every detail is important. Every guest will complete a dietary form that outlines specific allergies and food restrictions. From there we take over and plan a custom meal plan for every kayak tour. You will not find dehydrated beans on our tours, but fresh cooked foods. Unlike some outfitters we provide lunch as well as breakfast and dinner. We have never understood why some kayak tour operators go through the trouble of providing breakfast and lunch then expect all guests to bring their own lunch.

We always travel in small groups. Groups size can have a huge impact on a multi day kayak tour. It changes where we can camp, the contact you have with your guide and the overall group dynamics. Being in a small group we are able to find more secluded campsites and everyone has plenty of access to the guide for questions and safety. Small groups allow everyone to bond and make new friends.

The most important part of any guided tour is your guide. Our guides are specially selected and trained to operate multi day sea kayak tours. Spending multiple season on the water before they graduate to operating our multi day kayak tours. They are top of the class when it comes to kayak skills, island wildlife, history and cooking. These are not college kids passing time till the next semester. These are outdoor professionals who have made a career of sharing the sea and the outdoors with people. We are a company developed by paddlers and operated paddlers.